Hi, I am a current senior applying for colleges, could you please chance me for Amherst, Vanderbilt, Brown, Yale, Columbia, and Stanford?
I have a 35.25 ACT(35 in math and 36 science) with a 4.00 UW GPA and 4.92 W. I go to a small high school(~80 in my graduating class) and am rank #1. I live in southwest Mississippi in a town with a population of around 20,000 and my school does not offer any AP classes but I’ve taken all Honors classes. I am a first-gen student and was actually born in India and moved here as a child(can also speak 2 Indian languages). Planning on majoring in Biochem.
ECs: I founded my own Environment club and became president in my junior year. I am Captain of the math and science team(top 10% Chemistry at the state tournament), science olympiad team(over ten top 3 state placement medals), and quiz bowl(state semifinalists) and have done all three for three years. I am president of NHS and vice president of my local Mayor’s Youth Council. Also part of the school student council and organized a chess team to compete at the state tournament. I have over 400 hours of volunteer service tutoring, doing a camp for special needs children, volunteering at the animal shelter, and helping out at the Boys and Girls Club. My parents have a gas station and I often work there. I’ve also spent time shadowing a local pediatrician and an ophthalmologist.
My common app essay is extremely personal but its basically about me living in my small town as a closeted gay teen and how I gathered the courage to come out to my best friend last summer and my English teacher this year. I am not applying ED anywhere.
Thank you so much for your help!
Does anyone have any comments?
Chances of acceptance to these schools is low for every single applicant.
Hopefully you have applied to match and safety schools in addition to these reach schools.
your act is strong but colleges do care about the rigor of your coursework. Although it was not offered for you to take APs, you should take subject tests to show you can handle academic rigor. the colleges you applied to are very hard to get into, plus being asian and picking a competitive STEM major does not help you much. Either way, I feel that you have probably the best chance out of your high school to get in. Best of Luck to you!
I wouldn’t put all my hopes on these schools. Even if you managed to get in, you still need to pay for them. Take some time to find some matches and safety schools you could go to
@jay201sharma the colleges you listed are all reach schools, and most applicants will have excellent stats. First-gen refers to first generation to attend college - have your parents attended college in the US or India.? If so, you’re not considered first-gen.
Re: being an ORM (overrepresented minority)- your geographic diversity may be of some value - hard to know. Your EC’s are fairly typical of others in the same pool. The number of Asian American students with high stats aspiring to a STEM major at an elite university is extremely high (relative to percentage of population) . Living in the deep south, away from the east and west coast suburbs, you may not be aware of just how highly competitive this demographic is. But who knows - the small southern town stuff may also turn out to be in your favor.
As others have said, apply to a full range of universities - matches and safeties. Lack of course rigor is an issue. Also, is money a concern? There are southern universities that give substantial merit scholarships to students with your stats. If you’re planning to be a physician, aim for a good university that will limit your debt for undergrad. Best of luck to you!
I have matches in Tulane, Occidental, Macalester, and Oberlin. Are there any private universities similar to my reaches that I could consider a match? My mother has an associate’s degree from a local community college but I was told that I still qualify as neither have attended a 4-year university. Would applying undecided in my major help? I am honestly passionate about biochem and will make sure that comes across in my essays. For financial aid, each institution’s calculator suggests a considerable amount of aid through which I could afford them. I really wish I could do something about my course work rigor, and no there are no SAT testing sites near me.
@jay201sharma If you’re doing RD to Tulane, Macalester, and Oberlin, I would not label them as matches. they accept a significant portion through ED, and the rest of the slots available will be small compared to the number of RD applicants. So essentially a reach (except for Occidental, maybe).
You have not yet identified a safety - one that you can get into and be affordable. Most likely your in-state flagship, because i think you can get good scholarships there. You’re probably not liking that suggestion, but if your long term goal is med school, that may be your least expensive route. Jan. 5 is their deadline for scholarships and honors programs, so don’t let that slip by.
Even if you go to a private university, med school is crazy competitive. If you think being an ORM for undergrad is an anti-hook, med school entrance is even worse. I have a niece (ORM) in the South whose instate med school was the only one she got into. She had stellar stats and EC’s from a well known private college for undergrad. She is now a resident with very good opportunities. Miss. has a good acceptance rate for in-state applicants for med school.
You can also look into other schools in the South that will give close to a full ride for someone with your stats.
Agree with previous posters that you need some safeties.
Look at your in-state options because if you’re targeting med schools, they will expect perfect GPAs, high MCATs (and your parents will be paying $300k [minimum] in fees). In-state schools could be the best for your funding, grades and state diversity.
Scholarships for med schools just aren’t there because, well, “everyone” qualifies. (Most of the students, at my dd’s med school, are on some bone-crushing loans or have very wealthy parents.)
Some of the schools you’ve listed consider any form of education on the part of the parents, past high school, to be non first gen. This won’t be a hook for you at those schools.
As an Asian Indian student, are ORM, and your stats/ec’s are very similar to everyone else applying to these schools.
Consider this reality check: there are ~35k high schools in the US, with 35k valedictorians who will all be applying to these schools, many with 3 yrs+ of rigorous AP/college courses. Some schools, like the ones in my county, have gone to trimester systems of 10 week courses. So, in a shorter time frame, they complete their AP classes. These are the students you will compete with for a finite number of seats.
Do yourself a favor, and get some safeties in state. Looking at prestigious and expensive undergraduate schools could backfire in that you could be rejected from all of them. It happens.
Not true. “First-gen refers to first generation to attend college - have your parents attended college in the US or India.? If so, you’re not considered first-gen.” ‘Attend’ does not matter.
You are a First Gen if neither parent earned a four-year undergraduate degree. You qualify given what you typed. This is a nice hook.
I would apply to a Safety, perhaps in-state to set your floor and then go for it with the other Reach and Match if you like.
From what you’ve written you may have net costs lower at the elite private schools than in-state safeties. You will not know until you receive the financial aid packages. Be prepared for rejections, but you can only attend one college at a time anyway.
^Given the competitive nature of this student’s choices, that first gen thing is judged differently at different schools.
I wouldn’t consider it a hook, since I work with many high school students, in which neither parent, attended any school after high school. Many just barely got their GEDs.
As an ORM, this student needs safeties and affordable options.
I have safeties with my state school and med school is just an idea for me. Not a set career path. I would gladly choose something else after college. I want to go to college for an expansive education. I haven’t been offered that at all at my high school and I really can’t stay in MS because it’s hard for me as a gay teen. It’s pure desperation at this point.
Update: I got into Tulane and also received their Dean’s Honors Scholarship which is full tuition! I have a great option now!
@jay201sharma Congratulations!!